Degradation of 4-Nitrophenol Using Zero Value Iron Metal of Fenton Process Facilitated by Microwave Irradiation

Microwave assisted Fenton process with zero value metallic iron (MW/Fe⁰/H₂O₂) is studied to degrade 4-nitrophenol (PNP) in the aqueous solution. An experimental design was conducted to assess the influences of various parameters on the degradation rate, such as pH value, initial PNP concentration, iron dosage, concentration of H₂O₂ and microwave energy output. PNP was degraded completely by this method in a relatively short time (10min for 100ml 100ppm PNP). Additionally, the identification of main degradation products of PNP was obtained by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the degradation mechanism pathway for PNP was proposed.